The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1887-02-10

aWell," said Zenobia, II reckon you oil
know Ned Fallxner and the Excelsior Ditch."
"Yes, Falkner's the superintendent Of it,"
said Rawlins. "And a square man too Thar
amt anything mean about him"
"Shake," said Zenobia, extending her
hand Rawlins shook the proffered hand
with eager spontaneousness, and the girl re-
sumed: "He's about ez good ez they mako
'ein-you bet. Well, you know Ned has put
all his money, and all his strength, and all
his sabe, and"-
"His good looks" added Clinch, mis-
chievously.
@Into that ditch" continued Zenobia, ig-
noring the interruption. sits his mother,
its his sweetheart it's his everythingl When
other chaps of his age was cavortin' round
Frisco, and havin' high jinlzs, Ned was in his
ditch. Wait till the ditch is DONE he used
TO say. Wait till she begins to boom, and
then you just stand round More'n that. he
got all the boys to put in their last cent-for
they loved Ned, and love him now, like ez eff
he wos woman"
"That's So" said Clinch and Rawlins sim
ultaneously, and he's worth it,"
"Wen," continued Zenobia, 'the d..un
didn't boom ez soon ez they kalkilated. And
then the boys kept gettin' poorer and poorer,
and Ned he kept gettin' poorer and poorer i'll
everything but his hopefulness and grit.
Then he looks around for more capital. And
about this time that coyote Harllins smelt
suthin nice up there, and he gifts Ned to give
him control of it and he'll lend him his name
and fix up a company. Soon ez he gets con-
troll, the first thing he does is to say that it
wants $4,000 O money to make it pay
and Iesies an assessment of $500 a share.
That's nothin' for them rich fellows to pay,
or pretend to pay, but for boys on grub
wages it meant only ruin. They souldn't
pay, and had to forfeit their shares
for next to nothing. And Ned n.ade
one more desperate attempt to save
them and himself by borrowing money
on his shares; when that hound
Harkins got wind of it, and let it be buzzed
around that the ditch is failure, and that
he was goin' out of it; that brought the
shares down to nothing. As Ned couldn't
raise a dollar the new company swooped
down on his shares for the debts they had
put up, and left him and the boys to help
themselves Ned couldn't bear TO face the
boys that he'd helped to ruin and put out,
and amt been heard from since. After
Harkins had got rid of Ned and the boys lie
manages to pay off that wonderful debt, and
sells out for 100000. That money-Ned's
money-he sends to Sacramento, for he don't
dare To travel with it himself, and is kalllil-
atm to leave the kintry, for some of the boys
allow to Kill him on sight. So eff you're
wantin' to hunt suthin, thar's yer chance,
and you needn't go inter the snow to do 1t"
"But surely the law can recover this
money!" said Hale Indignantly @It is as i'll
famous q robbery as'-. He stopped as ho
caught zenobia's eye.
"Ez last nights, you were goin' to say.
I'll call it more Them road agents don't
pretend to be your friend-but take yer
money and run their risks. For ez to the
law, that can't help yer"
| sits skin game, and you might ez well
expect to recover a gambling debt from
short card sharp" explained Clinch; "falk-
ner oughter shot him on sight"
@Or tho boys lynched him." suggested
| Rawlins.
Il think" said Hale, more reflectlvely,
9that in the absence of legal remedy man
| of that kind should have been forced under
strong physical menace to give up his Ill
gotten gains The money was the primary
object, and if that could be got without
| bloodshed-which seems to me useless
.rime-it would be quite as effective. or
course. if there was resistance or retaliation,
a x,,;rI4 Ia pocecsarv to kill him